More than
by storyteller41
Summary: Do you think you know everything about Shaggy and Velma? Read to find out. Read and Review.
1. Chapter 1

**More than**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Scooby Doo or any of the characters_

**Chapter 1**

**More than Food**

If you know Norville "Shaggy" Rogers, then you know that he loves food. Whether on a case or just hanging out, you'll find him eating or cooking up something. What nobody knew, not even Scooby Doo, his best friend and dog, was that there was one thing that he loved even more than food: Velma Dinkley.

He loved hearing her talk about something scientific even if he didn't understand it. She got a special sparkle in her eyes when she talked about something she was interested in. She got a mischievous smile that he loved when she purposely said something she knew that no one else would understand. He loved that she didn't change herself to impress anybody no matter how much she liked a person. He thought she was beautiful just the way she was. He also loved her dry, sarcastic wit and humor.

Her glasses magnified her eyes so that you could see the little flecks of gold in her brown eyes. She was researching laser eye surgery and contacts for people with her level of blindness without glasses. He personally thought they looked cute on her. He loved looking into her eyes and seeing what she was thinking. He could always tell by the look in her eyes.

He knew she wasn't into the totally brainy guys like so many people thought she would be. He thought she might even be able to be into him, if it wasn't for the fact that he was such a coward. He didn't dare show or utter a single word about how he felt about her. If there was one thing that he was even more afraid of than monsters, it was his fear that Velma would find out his feelings for her.

He didn't want things to get weird between them. Every time someone showed an interest in her, she'd get all weird about it and end up being really mean to them. It didn't help that they usually turned out to be the people who ended up in jail. Velma was his best friend besides Scooby Doo. Fred and Daphne were great friends too, but he was just closer to Velma. He wasn't into sports like Fred or into fashion like Daphne. He didn't really have anything in common with Velma either, but she made an effort to include him in things. She took the time to explain people's jokes and do activities with him. She made sure to include him in conversations and ask his opinions.

He didn't tell Scooby Doo about his secret love for a number of reasons. For one thing he didn't think that Scooby would understand. Also the fact that Scooby would probably accidentally tell her. All she'd need to do is give him a Scooby Snack and every single secret he'd learned would go right out the window.

Velma didn't often show an open interest in men besides sometimes turning into an out-of-character fan-girl for certain movie stars or authors. Ben Ravencroft was one of her favorite authors. She was totally into him and everyone could tell. She helped him solve a mystery of his ancestor's missing book. He used that book to become an evil warlock. He mocked Velma for her interest in him. If he wasn't locked in a book, then Shaggy thought he could have hurt him. Though Shaggy wasn't a fan of violence at all, he thought he could have made an exception in this particular case.

He thought it was kind of strange that she seemed like her old self again that very night when they played the concert with the Hex girls. He didn't question it. He thought maybe she wasn't as into him as he'd originally thought. On the way home Velma was chatting up the latest scientific breakthroughs while Fred and Daphne pretended to be interested in what she was saying.

Later when he was in bed, he heard a weird sound coming from Velma's room. (A/N: I don't know if they all ended up living together in the series, but in this they all live together. Shaggy's room is right next to Velma's.) He got up to go check it out. He thought maybe she just forgot to shut off her computer again. He knocked on her door and then opened it. Velma was curled up in a ball on her bed whimpering into her pillow. He'd never seen Velma cry before. He knew then that she wasn't okay. He didn't even think about what he was doing, he just scooped her up and held her. Velma turned around so she was facing him and then threw her arms around him hanging on for dear life while she sobbed into his chest.

That became the routine for that whole week. Velma would pretend to be fine during the day, but at night he'd go in and hold her while she cried. Scooby Doo came in sometimes and she'd pet him with one hand while still holding onto Shaggy with the other. She told them not to tell Fred and Daphne about it. She also asked them to forget about her bout of weakness. Shaggy understood it. He had done the same thing with Crystal.

He acted like her leaving hadn't affected him one bit, but it did. He acted like he was fine during the day, but at night he couldn't sleep. Velma had figured it out somehow and stayed up with him. They'd watch movies and have popcorn fights. Eventually he was able to sleep again and Velma went back on her own. She was a very independent person and he respected that about her.

It took her less and less time to stop crying at night and then not at all. He still checked on her the second week, but she always assured him that she was fine. He liked being needed and depended upon especially by her. It made him feel important and that maybe there was room for him in her life.

He knew things about her that he doubted she knew that he knew. He knew that her favorite color was red, but she thought that she looked best in orange which is why most of her outfits were orange with just a little bit of red. He knew that though she wouldn't openly admit it she liked watching romantic comedies. She liked native style music and heavy metal, but only when she was in a certain mood.

He was at that stage of love where he wasn't hungry and he couldn't sleep. He thought about her all the time. He knew if he didn't eat the same as usual that the gang would suspect something. Also it helped to have his hands full so that he wouldn't give in to the temptation that was becoming much too frequent in his opinion of just grabbing Velma and wrapping his arms around her never letting her go again.

Velma graduated high school at sixteen while the rest of them were eighteen. When she turned eighteen she had already graduated college having been placed in advanced classes as well as having full scholarships to any school of her choice. She had chosen the closest one to Coolsville to stay close to her friends and still work on cases. Shaggy wasn't sure if he'd go to college, and if he did he wasn't sure what for.

Velma finally convinced him to at least go to community college so that he could get a better education and have something to fall back on in case the gang ever split up. He graduated community college with an Associate's Degree and then decided to go on to Culinary Arts school. He knew that not many people liked what he liked, but if he could at least find out the names of some of the ingredients of some of the things he threw together, it would help.

It turned out that he took to it like a pro and soon was the top of his class. He was given a trial run in a restaurant and soon became the head chef. Then the trial got over and he graduated. His teacher was so impressed with him that he helped him get his own restaurant. The grand opening was in three months. He was trying to work up the nerve to ask Velma to be his date for it. It was going to be a black tie event, which didn't really suit him any, but he thought Velma would look amazing in whatever she wore.

He'd already asked the whole gang to it and they gladly accepted the offer so he knew she'd be there anyway, but he wanted Velma to be his official date. He just had to overcome his fear just this once. Even if she said no, at least she'd still be there, but he was worried all the same.


	2. Chapter 2

**More than**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Scooby Doo or any of the characters_

**Chapter 2**

**More than Science**

_A/N: Velma's thoughts are in italics._

Velma Dinkley was labeled the 'smart one' which she loved. She was glad to have that as her title and lived up to it. She studied science: astrophysics, biology, chemistry, anything she could get her hands on, really. She was the top of the class in both high school and college. She ended up being Valedictorian for both as well. She ended up graduating two years early. She loved science, but there was one thing she loved more than science: Norville 'Shaggy' Rogers.

At first she was embarrassed to even have a crush on him because he was always eating and didn't have any table manners. Not to mention that he was unbelievably immature. Then he started to get more mature, his table manners improved slightly, and they became better friends. That little crush then became love.

She loved that even though he was one of the biggest cowards she'd ever known, that if one of the other members of the gang was captured he'd forget his fear and became one of the bravest people she'd ever known. She loved that he had such a big heart and was so sweet. She loved that he could make friends with just about anyone, and she loved that he loved animals.

She knew things about him that she doubted he knew she knew. She knew that his favorite color was blue, but he never wore it out of respect for Fred always wearing it. She knew that he could write songs and sing really well. Around the campfire and in the back of the Mystery Machine, he didn't sing that well because they were just messing around, but every night when he thought everyone else was asleep he'd sing Scooby a lullaby that he'd written for him to go to sleep to. Apparently Scooby couldn't sleep unless he sang it. Velma always pretended to be asleep so that she could hear it too. She knew the real reason why he became a vegetarian (A/N: Casey Kasem, the voice actor for Shaggy became a vegetarian and insisted that his character do the same.)

He had told the gang that he just needed a change, but she knew the real reason. He had inherited a meat-packing plant from an obscure relative of his. It came with three slaughterhouses. He went to go see it so he could do what he had to, but he saw some of the animals being slaughtered and then packaged into the meat products. He ended up selling the land; he had them tear down both the meat-packing plant and the slaughterhouses after finding the workers other jobs. He never ate meat again. The first few times the gang ate meat after that, he'd have to leave the room and throw up.

Velma followed him one of these times and found out the whole story. He told her that it made him think of the slaughterhouses and all the noises and blood that came with it. She was glad that she hadn't seen it, but sad that he'd had to. She was impressed that he'd thought to find the workers other jobs before having the place torn down. He couldn't sleep that whole week. She knew because she could hear him tossing and turning. She didn't do anything about it then, but she did when it came to Crystal.

Crystal was this girl that Shaggy really liked. She ended up being an alien of all things. Shaggy put on a brave face and it seemed like only a few minutes before both Scooby and Shaggy were back to their old selves again. At night though, she could hear him tossing and turning. She decided that she wasn't going to sit back and do nothing this time around. She went into Shaggy's room and watched movies with him. They'd have popcorn fights and pillow fights. Then she went in there one night and he was sleeping like a baby. Shaggy really was back to his normal self. He did the same thing with her when it came to Ben.

Ben Ravencroft was her favorite author. She had developed a huge crush on him and was so excited to be invited to help him solve a mystery. She had read all of his books at least a dozen times and talked to him in his car on the way up to his place. She solved the mystery as they always did, but this one didn't have a happy ending for her. He used her for his own personal gain and then made fun of her for her interest in him. She was glad he was locked in that book. She acted like nothing happened, like she didn't care one bit. She and the gang performed with the Hex girls and it was fun. She even went so far as to purposefully bore Fred and Daphne with scientific breakthroughs.

When it was all said and done though, she hurt. She was in so much emotional pain that she felt it physically. That night she let herself go over the events again and then she cried. Velma tried to cry quietly, having been the strong, somewhat emotionless one of the group, never letting anything get to her. Shaggy must have heard her because one minute she was crying softly into her pillow and the next she was sobbing into Shaggy's chest.

The next day she pretended like everything was alright again. She stayed home while Fred and Daphne went out and did something. Shaggy had decided not to go either, but she wasn't sure if that was because he really didn't want to go or because he wanted to keep an eye on her. While he was busy preparing something in the kitchen, she gathered up all of her Ben Ravencroft books and took them outside. She could have sold them she supposed, but she felt this would make her feel better. Soon she had a massive fire going and was throwing the books in one by one. Shaggy came over to her and smiling said, "You can't have a bonfire without roasting marshmallows. You dropped one of your fire starters." He handed her another Ben Ravencroft book that must have fallen from her pile, then she, Shaggy, and Scooby Doo all roasted marshmallows. When Fred and Daphne came back there was no sign that a fire had ever been there.

He came in and held her that night as well and for the whole rest of the week. He never said anything, just held her until she stopped crying. She had told him that she was fine after that. She didn't want to become a burden to him no matter how good it felt to be in his arms. It took her about another month to completely get over what happened, but it had another affect on her as well. She could no longer believe that anybody could have an interest in her without an ulterior motive of some kind.

Shaggy wasn't intending to go to college at all, but Velma pointed out that if the gang were to split up for some reason that he'd want to have something to fall back on. He reluctantly agreed that she had a point. He went to the local community college and got his AA degree. He decided that he wanted to go to Culinary Arts school. He became the number one student there impressing the instructor so much that he helped him get his own restaurant. His grand opening was in three months. She was so proud of him. It was a black tie event.

The whole gang was invited. She was excited. Velma had already bought a dress for the event, of course it was orange. She wasn't really planning on doing anything special with hair and makeup. She didn't get off on it as Daphne did.

She had asked Shaggy who he planned to ask to be his date for the grand opening, and he said that he was hoping that she would be. She said yes of course.

(_A/N: Daphne and Fred are going to be a little out-of-character and mean for this conversation.)_

She was content until she overheard a conversation between Fred and Daphne. She wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but once she heard her name she was curious. "Shaggy asked Velma to be his date to the grand opening." Daphne began conversationally.

"Of course he did. This way he doesn't have to actually look for someone to go with." Fred said.

"What do you mean Freddy?" Daphne asked curiously.

"I just mean that Velma is an obvious choice for him to pick because it's not like she's gonna get another date. So there's no work involved in him finding a date."

"That's not nice. How do you know she wouldn't get a date?"

"But it's true. Every guy that's shown an interest in her has only liked her for her brain." _So I have to be pretty to get a date? _Velma thought.

"What about that guy at Little Moose? He thought she was good-looking."

"Daphne, he was psychotic." _So only someone who is psychotic can think I'm good-looking?_

"What's that supposed to mean?" Daphne asked.

"I just mean that Velma isn't beautiful. Maybe if she didn't always cover herself up so much that you can barely see her and didn't have glasses that take up half her face." _So just because I'm modest, I'm ugly?_

"I think Velma could be beautiful if she did her hair differently and wore a little makeup. I just wish she'd take a little initiative."

"I don't think Velma could be pretty if she tried. She probably covers herself up like that because she doesn't have a figure at all." Fred said. That was when Velma left. _How dare they! I'll show them. They'll be eating their words._

She immediately ran upstairs and got the dress that she'd gotten for the opening. She had some shopping to do.


	3. Chapter 3

**More than**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Scooby Doo or any of the characters_

**Chapter 3**

**More than Anything**

Velma worked diligently on creating the perfect look. One good thing about being so into science was that she was able to create her own makeup. Daphne's makeup was made up of stuff that had bat poop and fish scales in it. She was not about to put that on her face. It took a lot of trial and error, but she eventually found something that worked. She figured if this worked out that she might be able to create her own line of makeup.

This kept Velma busy in her lab for about a month. She pretty much ignored everyone. They didn't know what was going on or why she wasn't talking to them. She grew her hair out, but kept curling it under so that it looked like nothing changed. When she finally came out, she was satisfied with the results of her makeup and hair. She just had to figure out whether or not Shaggy asked her just because it was easier.

"Shaggy, I don't want to sound like a self-conscious girlfriend, but did you only ask me to be your date because it was easier than finding somebody that you'd actually want to go with?" she asked him shyly.

He started for a minute before he could answer. He was stuck at the word girlfriend before he could process what she had said. "Like no, I want to go with you. Zoinks, I asked you so early like before you had a chance to get asked by anyone else. Like, man, Velms, what brought this on?"

Velma started blushing, "I just heard some people talking that's all. I'm sorry. I won't bring it up again."

"Velma," Shaggy said taking her hands in his, "if I just asked you because it was easier and like didn't think it was possible for you to get another date, I'd like have asked you the day before the grand opening, not three months before it." Shaggy looked down at their joined hands and then up at Velma. Her face was flushed a pretty shade of pink. He started to panic and quickly dropped her hands, "I need a sandwich." he said and instantly went in the direction of the kitchen.

Velma wasn't sure what to make of that. He seemed sincere enough, and when he took her hands in his she couldn't help but blush more. He seemed to do it without even thinking about it, and then he seemed to realize what he was doing and dropped her hands like they were on fire. Of course he'd be thinking about his stomach. She looked at her hands. They weren't that repulsive, were they? She shrugged it off. When it came to Shaggy, you never knew what was really going on through his mind. She didn't know that he was having a panic attack in the kitchen.

Shaggy's hands were shaking so bad, he couldn't even do anything with them. He had taken Velma's hands, he hadn't even thought about it, just did it. Then he looked down and noticed their joined hands and looked up at Velma. She was blushing. He'd never seen her blush before and she looked beautiful. He had the sudden urge to pull her closer and hold her close which was why he dropped her hands so quickly. He decided he had to get out of there as fast as possible. Of course the first thing he'd think of was something to do with food. He was afraid that she thought he was a freak.

Finally the day of the grand opening came around. Daphne wore a purple ballgown with purple gloves. She had her hair up and wore purple dangly earrings. Of course she looked beautiful. Fred was naturally her date. He wore a suit and tie. His hair was gelled fashionably. He looked charming as her date.

Shaggy had shaved off his goatee for this special occasion and had grown his hair out long enough to fit into a ponytail at the base of his neck. He wore a suit and bow tie. He looked very handsome. All three of their mouths dropped open when they saw Velma.

She wore a form fitting royal blue evening dress that had a red sash around her middle and held up by two thin straps at the shoulders. It showed off her figure which was well hidden in her usual outfit. The top was low cut which she'd usually be very uncomfortable wearing. She still was, but she was making a point so it wasn't as much. She wore her hair down and straight so that it came to her shoulders. Her bangs were parted in the middle with two clips keeping them out of her eyes. She wore glasses the same size as her usual ones, but with thin frames instead of her usual thick ones. She also wore dangling pearl earrings with a matching necklace. Her makeup looked professionally done. Her sandals matched the color of her dress. They looked dressy, but weren't high heels. Her fingernails and toenails were painted blue with red tips to match the sash around her waist.

Velma expected a reaction from her friends, but whatever she was expecting, it wasn't this. Once Shaggy finally got his voice back he said, "Zoinks Velma, you look amazing."

"Thanks Shaggy. So do you. I like the ponytail."

"Shall we?" Shaggy asked while offering Velma her arm. Velma took it flashing a brilliant smile at him. He almost tripped because he was entranced by her smile. He caught himself just in time.

They got there and people had quite a reaction to the gang's being all dressed up especially Shaggy and Velma. Scooby was all dressed up too. His coat gleamed and he had a bow tie on instead of a collar. He was a big hit. The people in the restaurant were warned not to ask what was in the food just to tell the waiters if they were allergic to any foods. They assured them that that there wasn't anything wrong going on with the food, just that most of Shaggy's dishes contained ingredients that most people wouldn't think of putting together and your more likely to like it if you try first and ask what's in it later. Luckily for Shaggy, people were okay with that answer.

There was a live band that played while Shaggy was in the kitchen cooking up a storm. Velma could just imagine the looks on the cooks' faces when they heard what ingredients they were supposed to put together. It had to be priceless.

_(A/N: Shaggy is going to be seriously out of character, but he's trying to sound sophisticated instead of like a hippie.)_

Once dinner was served Shaggy came out. "I have an announcement to make. I thought since it was the grand opening I'd do something a little different. Usually I'd make sure to grab a plate for myself to make sure I got some food too. People believed in me and got me where I am today. So I thought I'd face all of my fears before I lost my nerve. I have written a song about somebody very special to me who happens to be here tonight and I'd like to play if for all of you. I apologize in advance if my song and/or voice isn't quite up to par." This time it was Velma's mouth that dropped open. She'd never heard him talk like that before.

Shaggy took up the guitar and in a sweet tenor voice began to sing. It was about somebody who he crushed on. Velma being the smart one immediately figured out it was about her. There were some distinctive things that pointed to her, but only to her. It mentioned pillow fights and popcorn fights. There were other things too, most of which could be Scooby Doo, but some things just weren't possible for a dog to do, even one as talented as him. The solidifying evidence that is was about Velma for Velma was the fact that for most of the song Shaggy was looking at his hands playing the chords, but the last two lines of the song he was looking right at Velma.

You may be thinking that he could be looking at anyone, but Velma was sitting on one side of the table while Fred and Daphne sat on the other. There was no doubt in Velma's mind that it was about her.

The most memorable parts of the song was the last half. It went like this:

_(A/N: This is mine. I'm thinking about making it into an actual song.)_

**More Than Anything **

**Verse: **I wanna hold you in my arms

And wipe away your tears

I wanna be yours

For all my years

**Chorus: **More than anything

I love to see your smile

You have your own style

I wanna kiss your lips

My heart's doing flips

**Ending: **I love to see your smile

I love the light in your eyes

I love you

More than anything

There was an amazed silence as the crowd just stared at him. Shaggy thought maybe he'd made a mistake in playing that song for them. He thought maybe it just plain sucked. He just about dropped his guitar when all of a sudden there was thunderous applause from everyone. He heard some shouts of 'Encore, Encore.' "I'll do one more if you really want me to." There were shouts of encouragement from the audience. "This is the last song I'll have time to play if you want your dessert that is. This song I wrote for my dog, Scooby Doo, when he was a puppy. It's supposed to chase away nightmares."

It was a beautiful song. Velma thought it sounded even better when she heard it in person. She looked over at Fred and Daphne to see their reactions. Their eyes were wide and they were both giving each other the 'did you know about this?' face. Velma almost felt like laughing, but she didn't. If it was possible, there was even louder applause for this song than the last. Afterward Shaggy went back into the kitchen to prepare the desserts.

Shaggy had brought his own car earlier in the day in order to make some last minute preparations and walked back to the house afterward. He rode with the gang in the mystery machine on the way to the restaurant later on that night.

The gang was still there when everyone else had left. They were just sitting around talking while Scooby was eating all of the leftovers. Shaggy usually would have joined him, but his stomach was still in knots. "Jeepers Shaggy, I didn't know you wrote songs." Daphne said.

"Or that you could sing like that." added Fred.

"It sounded great Shaggy. You're meal was delicious too." Velma said.

"Thanks guys. Man, that like means a lot."

"I'm gonna use the restroom. I'll just be a minute." Velma said and excused herself. She was rather quick, but she slowed down on her way back when she heard they were talking about her.

"Looks like you were wrong, Fred." Daphne said.

"What do you mean?" Fred answered.

"Velma can look pretty when she tries. Who would've thought that she could look like that?" Daphne said.

"Yeah, it's an amazing transformation. She doesn't even look like the same girl as she did this morning." Fred said and Daphne nodded.

"Like wait a minute!" Shaggy shouted, "what are you talking about?"

"Well Daphne and I were just having a conversation a couple months ago about how Velma isn't the prettiest person in the world." Fred said.

"Velma's not pretty," Shaggy said and Velma just about walked away, but then he continued, "She's beautiful."

"Yeah, she looks really great tonight." Daphne said.

"Velma's beautiful all the time. Like you don't see it because you're not looking for it." Shaggy said.

"Give us a for instance, Shaggy."

"Like Velma's got the prettiest smile. Just cuz she doesn't wear lipstick doesn't mean it's not pretty. Have you like ever looked close enough at her to like see that she has the prettiest eyes too? She's got bits of gold in her brown eyes. Zoinks, she doesn't even need makeup to look pretty." Shaggy said rather vehemently. Daphne and Fred looked at Shaggy in surprise. Velma thought that was a good time to make her appearance.

"I'm back." Velma said and all three of their heads turned to look at her, "what? I wasn't gone that long was I?"

"Like no." Shaggy said. Velma noticed Fred and Daphne looking at her oddly. They were trying to see what Shaggy saw – the pretty smile and gold in her eyes.

"Do I have something on my face?" Velma asked starting to get self-conscious.

"Not at all. We were just admiring your jewelry. You really know how to accessorize." Daphne said.

"Fred, you were admiring my jewelry too?" Velma asked.

"No, I was looking at your um... hairstyle. I really like it like that." Fred said.

"Um, okay."

"Velma, like I'm gonna take a walk outside. You wanna come with?" Shaggy asked.

"Sure." Velma said.

"Shall we?" He asked offering her his arm once again. She gladly took it.

They walked around for a little bit without saying anything. Shaggy had thrown over his shoulder at Fred and Daphne that they could go ahead and leave since his car was still there. "This is a great place Shaggy. It was a wonderful night."

"Yeah, thanks for being my date for this."

"Anytime. Those were some great songs you sang. I didn't know you felt quite that strongly about Scooby." Velma said.

"Yeah well it helps him sleep and if he can sleep, then it's like easier for me to sleep." Shaggy answered.

"I meant the first song you sang. I knew you loved Scooby, but I didn't know you loved him more than anything, or that you wanted to kiss his lips."

"What? Zoinks, that wasn't about him... Oh, you like got me. So did you figure out who it was about?" he asked.

"I think I've got a pretty good idea." she said, "that reminds me, thanks for defending me in front of Fred and Daphne. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help it."

"Oh you like heard that? I meant every word." Shaggy said.

"Really? You think I'm pretty even when I'm dressed like usual?" Velma asked him.

"Of course." Shaggy said like it should have been obvious, "Velma," he said turning to face her and then taking both her hands in his, this time on purpose, "can I like kiss you?"

Velma answered, "I'd like that."

"You would?" Shaggy asked uncertainly.

"More than anything." she answered smiling.

So this is where the story ends with their first kiss, but the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

_So what did you think. Leave a comment and let me know._


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